Passu

Introducing Passu

Sitting between the black Batura Glacier and the white Passu Glacier, this is another place to stop if you like to hike. At 2400m, Passu is the base for some dramatic hikes and longer treks.

Although Passu is one of the oldest settlements in Hunza-Gojal, a kind of geographical curse has prevented it from growing into a town. As glaciers periodically dammed the Shimshal River and then broke, floods have gradually torn away Passu’s riverfront land. The 1974 mudslide at Shishkut Nala created a lake that submerged parts of the village and choked the valley with sand and gravel. At one time Passu had extensive orchards, a polo field and nearly five times its present population.

The highest point of the stunning rocky ‘cathedral’ ridge across the river is 6106m Tupopdan (Wakhi for ‘hot rock’, because in winter its slopes shed the snow quickly). On lower slopes are messages, spelt out with painted rocks, dating from the Aga Khan’s 1987 visit to Gojal.

The village is below Passu Inn, where buses usually stop. Buses will also drop or collect you at hotels out on the KKH.

Last updated: Sep 30, 2008